Schiffli type embroidering machine and shuttle box therefor



Feb. 26, 1963 E. H. CONRAD 3,078,

SCHIFFLI TYPE EMBROIDERI MACHINE AND SI-HJTTLE BOX THEIR P.

Filed May 1, 1961 INVENTOR.

ERICH HENRY CONRAD BY W ATTORNEY States The present invention relates to Schifili embroidering machines, and particularly to the shuttle boxes of such embroidering machines.

In Schiflli embroidering machines of the type to which the present invention relates, a plurality of horizontallymovable needles are arranged in one or more spaced horizontal rows on one side of a fabric and are simultaneously moved to pierce the fabric, carrying threads to the other side of the fabric where they each form a horizontally disposed loop on the other side of the fabric. Each of the needles is provided on the other side of the fabric with a cooperating shuttle. Such shuttles are each provided with a shuttle box that guides it for reciprocation through the loop of thread formed by the needle projecting through the fabric. Each of these shuttles is formed with a pointed upper end and a generally stubby lower portion and with a fiat gliding surface. Each of the shuttle boxes comprises a foot portion by which it is secured in place, and a stem portion which extends slightly diagonally upwardly and is formed with a flat sloping surface along which the gliding surface of the shuttle moves.

Heretofore, the shuttle boxes had to be spaced apart a distance suiiicient, at least, toaccommodate the maximum thickness of the shuttle together with the thickness of the thread of a stitch loop along the thickest portion of the shuttle, so as to permit the movement of the shuttle along one box, through the loop of its corresponding needle, without interference by or contact with the contiguous surface of the adjacent shuttle. Such spacing between shuttles affords leeway between the sliding surface of one shuttle box and the contiguous surface of the adjacent shuttle box for the shuttle to move away, on excessive vibration, or for some other reason, from its supporting surface of its shuttle box against the contiguous surface of the adjacent shuttle box to a degree that its pointed end missed the loop formed by its needle, thus resulting in a missed stitch.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide Schiffli embroidering machines in which missed stitches from the cause aforesaid are substantially eliminated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide shuttle boxes for Schiflli embroidering machines which may be spaced close enough to one another to prevent any shuttle to move away from the supporting surface of its shuttle box a suificient distance to miss a loop and yet permit the reciprocating movement of the shuttle through a loop formed by its cooperating needle without interference or obstruction being offered by the contiguous surface of an adjacent shuttle box.

It is another object of the present invention to provide shuttle boxes of the character described for Schifili embroidering machines that may be produced at no greater cost than the similar shuttle boxes of the prior art, and may be installed and used with no greater effort or cost than the similar shuttle boxes of the prior art.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the shuttle boxes for Schifili embroidering machines of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more atet readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details shown therein.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational and partly sectional view showing a pair of contiguous shuttle boxes of the invention associated with a shuttle box supporting and shuttle moving mechanism of a Schifili embroidering machine;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, elevational View showing the pair of shuttle boxes with a shuttle mounted on one of them, the shuttle being shown in position with its point engaging within a thread loop formed by a needle;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing the shuttle having moved approximately half-way its length through the thread loop; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring, now, in greater detail to the accompanying drawings more or less diagrammatically illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, the same show a shuttle box supporting bar, 10, which may be of conventional construction and conventionally mounted on an embroidering machine, and a shuttle moving bar, 12, which carries the shuttle moving pins, 14, and is operatively connected by a rod, 16, that passes through an opening in the bar 10, to the driving machanism of the apparatus; all in the conventional manner.

Mounted in closely spaced relation on the bar 10, in a substantially standard manner, are a plurality of shuttle boxes, each generally designated as 18 (only two are shown). Each of the shuttle boxes 18 is of generally and substantially conventional construction, consisting of a base or foot, 20, having a flat bottom face by which it is supported on the bar 10, and a post section, 22,

" which may preferably be of substantially rectangular cross-section, extending slightly diagonally upwardly from the foot or base 20, at a slight angle to a line normal to the bar It The upwardly facing side, 24, of each of the shuttle box posts 22 is smooth and constitutes a slidably supporting surface for the flat side of a shuttle, 26, in the conventional manner. The post 22 has secured thereto, on the side thereof adjacent the needles of the machine, a conventional needle plate, 28, having an embossed portion, St in which the needle opening, 32, is formed. The post 22 may also be provided at its opposite face with the conventionally formed flange, 34, overhanging the sliding surface 24 of the post. The post 22 is further provided with a conventional transverse needle passage groove, 36, in horizontal alinement with the needle opening 32, which groove opens into the face 24 of the post; the needle, 38, carrying the thread, 40, reciprocating in the groove 34 and forming therein a thread loop, 42, that extends outwardly of the groove, in the conventional manner.

The shuttle 26 is of conventional type having a relatively thick body portion, 27, extending about two-thirds its length, and a pointed end portion, 29, and is disposed, when at rest, with its pointed end 29 immediately below the opening of groove 34 into the sup-porting surface 24, so that when it is upwardly moved by a pin 14, its pointed end 29 will engage through the loop 42 and enlarge it and pass through it in its upward movement, .to complete a stitch, all in the conventional manner.

Formed in the downwardly facing side, 44, of each post 22 and extending transversely thereacross, opposite its groove 36, is a relatively shallow recess, 46. The recess 46 is of a depth not greatly exceeding the thickness of an embroidery thread or yarn likely to be used with the apparatus, and is of a height less than the height of the thicker portion 27 of the shuttle 26, and is preferably formed with gradually slanting sides, for the purpose which will hereafter be explained.

The posts 22 of the shuttle boxes 18 are of such thickness and are so arranged that a shuttle resting on the surface 24 of one of them is afiorded minimum clearance with the surface 44 of the adjacent one, just sufiicient to permit free movement of the shuttle but not sufiicient to permit the tilting of the shuttle away from its supporting surface, whereby it may be displaced from its supporting surface a sufficient distance to have its pointed end 29 miss the loop on its upward movement, to produce a missed stitch. Thus a shuttle will, at each upward movement thereof, engage through a loop 42 and thereby avoid any possibility of missed stitches by reason of non-engagement of the shuttle through the loop.

FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates the manner in which the shuttle 26, whose back or spine, at its thicker portion 27, is in close proximity to the underside 44 of the adjacent post 22, is held by such underside in position, in the initial stages of its upward movement, to engage through a relatively small loop 42 extending out of the needle groove 36 of its supporting post 22.

As the shuttle moves upwardly through the loop 42, so that the latter is enlarged and is disposed on the spine of the shuttle, the clearance recess 46 accommodates the loop thread 42, so that such thread does not interfere with the movement of the shuttle and is not damaged by any contact with the underside of the adjacent post, in spite of the close tolerance between that post underside and the shuttle, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

The spine of the shuttle 26 is engaged by the upper portion of the post side 44, above the clearance recess 46, before the lower portion of the shuttle spine clears the portion of the face below the clearance recess 46, so that the shuttle is held substantially steady throughout its movement up and down in its shuttle box, to avoid undue vibration and wear and tear and the shuttle and the boxes.

This completes the description of the shuttle box of the present invention and the manner of its installation, use and operation. It will be readily apparent that the shuttle box of the present invention substantially elimina-tes missed stitches due to failure of a shuttle to engage through a needle thread loop. It will also be apparent that the shuttle box of the present invention may be formed at relatively no advance in cost over similar ones now in conventional use, and that it may be installed in the same manner as such conventional shuttle boxes, and does not require any alteration in its own general structure, nor in the structure of the apparatus as a Whole, for its installation and use.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations in the shuttle box of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a shuttle box for use in an embroidering machine having a plurality of shuttle boxes of the character described, said shuttle box including a base having a fiat underside adapted to be rested on a supporting surface and a post of substantially rectangular cross-section extending diagonally upwardly from said base at an acute angle to a plane normal to said flat bottom surface of said base, said post having its upwardly directed face smooth and adapted to slidably support a shuttle thereon and a needle groove formed therethrough opening into said upwardly directed face, said post having formed in its downwardly directed face, opposite the opening of said needle groove, a transversely extending shallow recess adapted to accommodate the thickness of a thread looped about a shuttle moved past said recess.

2. The shuttle box of claim 1, wherein said shallow recess extends above and below said needle groove and is of a height less than the height of the thick body portion of a shuttle supportable on said shuttle box.

3. In an embroidering machine of the character described, having a shuttle box supporting bar, a plurality of shuttle boxes supported on said bar, each said shuttle box comprising a base having a hat underside adapted to be rested on the supporting surface of said bar and a post of substantially rectangular cross-section extending diagonally upwardly from said base at an acute angle to a plane normal to said flat bottom surface of said base, said post having its upwardly directed face smooth and adapted to slidably support a shuttle and a needle groove formed therethrough opening into said upwardly directed face and having formed in its downwardly directed face opposite the opening of said needle groove a transversely extending shallow recess, said shuttle box of a thickness and arranged to provide a minimum clearance between the downwardly directed face of each said posts, with the thick body portion of a shuttle supported on the upwardly directed face of the adjacent of said posts whereby the shuttle disposed on said upwardly directed face of said adjacent post is inhibited from moving away from said face by the downwardly directed face of said first post.

4. In an embroidering machine of the character described, having a shuttle box supporting bar, a plurality of shuttle boxes supported on said bar, each said shuttle box comprising a base having a fiat underside resting on said bar and a post of substantially rectangular crosssection extending diagonally upwardly from said base at an acute angle to the plane normal to said flat bottom surface of said base, said post having its upwardly directed face smooth and adapted to slidably support a shuttle thereon and a needle groove formed therethrough opening into said upwardly directed face, said shuttle boxes of a thickness and arranged to provide a minimum clearance between a shuttle movably supported on the upwardly directed face of one of said shuttle boxes and the downwardly directed face of the adjacent of said shuttle boxes, whereby the shuttle disposed on said upwardly directed face of said one shuttle box is inhibited from moving away from said face by the downwardly directed face of the adjacent of said shuttle boxes, said shuttle boxes each having means provided in its downwardly directed face opposite the needle groove thereof to provide clearance for the thread of a loop through which the shuttle on said one shuttle box is moved.

References (Zited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 990,301 Schoenfeld Apr. 25, 1911 1,160,417 Knecht Nov. 16, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS 32,055 Germany July 4, 1885 

1. IN A SHUTTLE BOX FOR USE IN AN EMBROIDERING MACHINE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SHUTTLE BOXES OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, SAID SHUTTLE BOX INCLUDING A BASE HAVING A FLAT UNDERSIDE ADAPTED TO BE RESTED ON A SUPPORTING SURFACE AND A POST OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION EXTENDING DIAGONALLY UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID FLAT BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID BASE, SAID POST HAVING ITS UPWARDLY DIRECTED FACE SMOOTH AND ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY SUPPORT A SHUTTLE THEREON AND A NEEDLE GROOVE FORMED THERETHROUGH OPENING INTO SAID UPWARDLY DIRECTED FACE, SAID POST HAVING FORMED IN ITS DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED FACE, OPPOSITE THE OPENING OF SAID NEEDLE GROOVE, A TRANSVERSLY EXTENDING SHALLOW RECESS ADAPTED TO ACCOMMODATE THE THICKNESS OF A THREAD LOOPED ABOUT A SHUTTLE MOVED PAST SAID RECESS. 